Seniors vs. Crime helps victims of scams, improper practices

June 26, 2013|Fallan Patterson fpatterson@tribune.com

Nearly every family has someone that has been the victim of unscrupulous practices: an uncle failed to do a background check on a contractor, someone stole grandma's Social Security benefits after being convinced to share her personal information over the phone or a daughter was swindled for auto repair work she didn't need.

Enter Seniors vs. Crime, a free special project the Florida Attorney General's Office that aims to help people of all ages who have been taken advantage of by improper practices, scams or other economic crimes.

"I truly believe Florida is the state of thieves," said Al Payne, deputy regional director of the Delray Beach office. "Seniors come down here with money in their pockets and there are people down here who try to get that money."

The Delray Beach office handles 50 cases a month, in season, and upward of 35 cases a month during the off season, according to Payne, who is proud of his office's 38 percent recovery rate.

"We try to recover the funds that have been paid or get (the business or contractor) to finish the job," he said. "We are not a senior advocate. We hear both sides of the story, determine where the fault lies and try to get a recovery."

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, people who grew up between 1930 and 1959 were raised to be polite and trusting, qualities con artists prey upon.

Seniors vs. Crime's strives to educate the public on ways to avoid becoming a victim.

"Knowledge is the most effective tool available to keep one safe – both physically and economically," Donald E. Ravenna, Seniors vs. Crime's executive director, said on the agency's website.

Payne and his group of 18 Senior Sleuth volunteers offer free speaking engagements in which they focus on educating their audiences on everyday practices that can innocently cause fraud.

"We stress the point of not putting the registration card in the glove compartment of your car," Payne said. "You are not to give your Social Security number to every Tom, Dick and Harry."

Tips to avoid becoming a victim may be found at seniorsvscrime.com or fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud/seniors.

The local Seniors vs. Crime office, which also assists residents of the surrounding areas in both Palm Beach and Broward counties, is in the Kings Point Professional Building at 15127 Jog Road. Call 561-445-9966 or 800-203-3099.